


Dancin' in the Rain

by Master_Magician



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24950431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_Magician/pseuds/Master_Magician
Summary: In a totally Aerith-like move, the flower girl was out in the rain, giggling and dancing like she was having the time of her life. Just like Cloud, Tifa found herself utterly enthralled by the sight.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	Dancin' in the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> It occurred to me, most of my Clerifa work has been either established relationship or pre-relationship. I haven't really done much with the fresh beginnings of said relationship, especially the feelings/emotions that come with a newborn poly relationship. Never been in one myself, but I've written several and know the kind of problems they face.
> 
> Enjoy.

"Aerith?" Tifa sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Cloud?"

Looking around, Tifa found the bed empty, her two bedmates nowhere to be found. It was no surprise Cloud had woken up before her, he was a notoriously light sleeper, but Aerith usually slept like the dead.

Standing up from the bed, Tifa found the second bed empty as well, and Red missing. Sheesh, been a long time since she was the last one up, but that didn't explain why no one woke her up. Maybe the others decided after the rough day yesterday that they'd take a short morning break.

Knowing her, Aerith probably insisted on it, and nobody had yet to be able to crack that girl's stubborn streak.

Stretching the sleep from her muscles, Tifa allowed her mind to wander.

Tifa must have been a lot more exhausted than she thought. Their group had pushed it a little too hard the other day, and all but cried when they'd managed to stumble across this inn in the middle of nowhere. Stumbling inside in the dark, after Tifa paid for their room, nobody had the strength to do anything but collapse in bed.

Which had been where Tifa found Cloud and Aerith when she caught back up to the group. Crawling into bed between her… they were her boyfriend and girlfriend respectively, but there had to be a simpler term to describe them. Partners? Lovers?

This whole relationship of theirs was still making Tifa's head spin even two weeks after it started. She'd never imagined, much less considered, a person having more than one lover without infidelity being involved.

Yet, here they were. Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith, each sharing each other in some bizarre three-person relationship. Tifa did have to admit, though, it made a lot of things far simpler. No one had to fight anyone in some annoying love triangle.

Of course, this didn't stop that pang of jealously whenever Tifa would see Aerith holding onto Cloud like he was some precious treasure, which to be fair as far as Tifa was concerned, the flower girl wasn't too far off. Aerith had explained it was okay to feel some of that, she felt the same whenever Tifa got too close to Cloud, it was just something the three of them had to manage.

It wasn't like Cloud had a monopoly on receiving affection. After only two weeks, Tifa had already lost count on the number of hugs and kisses she'd received from Aerith alone. Cloud wasn't one for blatant displays of affection, but Tifa and Aerith knew that from day one.

With her morning workout finished, or at least the modified one she'd developed since they left Midgar on this quest, Tifa left the room in search of her companions.

Passing by a window in the hallway, Tifa stopped and took a few steps back to look out it. Her senses must have still been a little dull from sleep, because she missed the heavy tapping of something hitting the glass from outside.

"Explains that." Tifa mused as she saw the heavy rain through the window. No wonder no one bothered to wake her up, they were stuck here until the storm passed. Good thing they'd found this inn. They already had a couple of nights they had to spend out in the elements, and it was an experience nobody wanted to repeat.

Still, though, Tifa needed to find the others to at least let them know she was awake.

Stepping into the inn's common room, Tifa was greeted by the innkeeper sitting behind his desk exactly where they'd met him the night before. Tifa offered a wave a nod that the man returned before continuing on her way.

It was Barret and Red that Tifa found first. The pair were poring over a map of the nearby region. Judging by their conversation, the pair were trying to decide where to go next. Odd that Aerith, and especially Cloud, were not taking part.

Tifa's boyfriend and girlfriend were both off elsewhere, probably together, doing god knows what with each other. Ooh… there was that jealously rearing its ugly head again. It took more than a little bit of Tifa's willpower to stamp it down once more.

This was okay, Tifa forcibly reminded herself. Cloud and Aerith were allowed to do things without her, just like Tifa and Cloud were allowed to do things without Aerith. They didn't need to all three be together every waking moment. While nice, relationships didn't work that way, especially not this strange one of theirs.

Continuing her search, Tifa at last found Cloud, at least. The man was standing on the front porch of the inn, starring out into the rain.

"Mornin'." Tifa greeted her boyfriend with a smile but it quickly faded when he didn't return the greeting or even acknowledge her presence. "Cloud?"

Following the mercenary's gaze, Tifa understood what had him so distracted.

Aerith.

In a totally Aerith-like move, the flower girl was out in the rain, giggling and dancing like she was having the time of her life. Just like Cloud, Tifa found herself utterly enthralled by the sight.

Aerith jumped, did a small twirl in mid-air, before landing back onto her foot, her leg swinging out like a professional dancer. Launching into another twirl sent the skirt of her dress spinning along with her.

How Aerith was managing to move so easily and gracefully in boots was… because Tifa only now noticed the blonde beside her was holding both in his hand, and Aerith was actually barefoot.

Tifa managed to snap out of her staring when she remembered what Aerith was wearing. A pink dress so pale, that it might as well have been white. Tifa knew she should say something, but stopped herself when she saw Aerith had already buttoned her red jacket closed.

"Tifa!" Aerith squealed in delight when she happened to glance over and caught sight of the other woman, her dance pausing mid-step. "Good morning, babe!"

The pet names, Cloud had yet to use one for either of them, but Aerith more than made up for it. It was yet another thing Tifa was still growing accustomed to. She had been somewhat lacking in the relationship department since… pretty much forever.

"Morning, Tifa." Cloud shook his head as if coming out of a daze. "Sleep well?"

"Like a log." Tifa couldn't help smiling.

Aerith continued dancing, but now she was slowly coming closer and closer to where Tifa and Cloud stood out of the weather. She only stopped once she was inches away from their cover, but her body continued to move, only her feet stopped.

"M'lady." Aerith bowed slightly and held out a hand to Tifa. "May I have this dance?"

"W… what?" Tifa was dumbstruck, and that was all she managed to stammer out.

"Dance with me, silly." Aerith giggled and smiled, and wow did that combination do things to Tifa's insides.

"In the rain?" Tifa stared down at the offered hand, unsure what to think.

"Yup!" Oh no, there they were, those sparkling green eyes full of so much fondness and love. It never once failed to make Tifa melt and want to give her girlfriend the world and anything she desired.

"Still say you should come in before you catch a cold." Cloud sighed.

"Stick in the mud here wouldn't do it." Aerith's hand remained out, but her other pointed a thumb in Cloud's direction.

"Maybe you should come in out of…" Tifa began.

"Pretty, please?" Aerith stuck out her lip in an adorable pout that had Tifa going weak at the knees. "It'll be worth it, I promise."

"Well…" Tifa's hand began to reach out. "Maybe for just a little bit…"

When Tifa took Aerith's hand, the flower girl's face lit up so brightly, it was like she just had one of her greatest wished come true. Aerith's fingers closed around Tifa's hand and she began to pull her out into the rain. Aerith's hold was firm, but loose enough Tifa could have pulled away any moment she chose to.

Tifa felt the cool raindrops dropping onto her arm as the limb was pulled out of the cover of the porch. Soon enough, the rest of her body followed, the water soaking her clothes through almost instantly. Luckily the rain was cool, but not frigid, they were going to be in no danger of freezing to death.

Not for the first time, Tifa was thankful the sports bra beneath her white top was black, so she didn't have to worry about her own modesty.

"There we are." Aerith's smile never faltered for even a second. If anything, now that they were both out in the rain together, it was growing. "Not so bad, right?"

Before Tifa could answer, Aerith guided Tifa's arms to encircle her waist, while her own wrapped around Tifa's neck, her fingers lacing together right over her skin. Both pulled the other close, their bodies coming nearly flush together. The sensation made Tifa's heart race and a faint blush began creeping its way up her cheeks and neck.

"Right." Tifa couldn't concentrate with Aerith this close. She was almost a goner already, but then her nose caught the flowery scent that seemed to follow Aerith everywhere she went.

The two women stayed like that for some time, the pair simply swaying back and forth as the deluge of water continued to pour over them, but neither really noticed the rain anymore. The only thing either could feel or notice was the other woman in their arms.

After a little time, Aerith pulled away, albeit with some reluctance on both of their parts. The flower girl held Tifa's hand as she took a couple steps back before pulling Tifa along with her. Following the pull, Tifa found herself being spun around by her girlfriend. Once they were face to face again, Aerith shifted her other hand to Tifa's hip while Tifa's own reflexively snaked its way back around her waist, the fingers splaying out over the small of Aerith's back.

"Don't think too much." Aerith instructed. "Just feel, and move with me. Keep your eyes locked on mine."

Easier said than done, Tifa mused internally. While it was painfully easy to keep her eyes locked onto those gorgeous emerald orbs, it was significantly harder to not worry about where her feet were going. Even more so since Aerith wasn't wearing her boots.

"Wait." Tifa's desire to prevent harm to her girlfriend was stronger than her desire to remain in her arms. With almost inhuman speed, Tifa stripped off her boots and hurled them back under the porch with probably a little too much force. The drenched stockings would take too long to peel off, but they could be dried later, so Tifa left them on.

In the span of a couple eye blinks, Tifa left and was back right where she was when they started, sand boots.

"Ready?" Aerith asked, mirth twinkling in her eyes.

"Ready." Tifa took a steadying breath, the grass beneath her stocking clad feet surprisingly comfortable.

How, Tifa hadn't the slightest idea, but when she and Aerith began to move, Tifa somehow managed to avoid stepping on Aerith's feet. Either that, or Aerith was crazily good at dodging whenever Tifa mis stepped, which she did, a lot.

Didn't help that Tifa couldn't stop imagining what Aerith looked like under that jacket. Her girlfriend was gorgeous, one of the most beautiful women on the planet, and nobody could convince Tifa otherwise. Still, Tifa's mind couldn't dislodge the mental image of Aerith's dress soaked in water and translucent. No matter how hard she tried to shake it loose.

"Wanna know the color?" Aerith abruptly asked out of the blue. There was a mischievous gleam in Aerith's eyes, the same one that foretold doom and embarrassment in equal measure in the very near future.

"Color of what?" Tifa's brow scrunched up in confusion as she tried to alternate talking and not stomping on her girlfriend's feet.

Aerith leaned in close before whispering breathily and, dare Tifa say, seductive, her lips right on Tifa's ear. "The color under this jacket, I saw you looking."

Color under the… Tifa's face went beet red instantly, well, far more beet red. If she was blushing before, Tifa's face had become a firestorm, now.

"I… I was not!" Tifa defended, but it sounded pretty meek even to her own ears.

"You totally were." Aerith giggled before laying her head on the other woman's shoulder. "But it's okay, I don't mind. I kinda like it when you guys look at me. Makes me feel wanted."

"Of course I… we want you." Tifa mentally kicked herself for the word stumble. They were all in this together, all three of them. It wasn't just Tifa and Aerith. Tifa really needed to get her brain to remember that.

"It's okay, this is all still new." Aerith seemed to read Tifa's thoughts. "For each of us. But if you're wondering about what I have under here…"

Tifa audibly gulped, biting her lip hard to stop any other noises that might escape.

"I have a new favorite color, plus my old favorite color." Aerith was whispering in that same damn breathy voice that made Tifa's insides turn to mush. "I got rid of that old pink one I used to wear and got me a new one with my two favorite colors. I still can't believe I stumbled across it in that shop."

"I… I don't have to… you don't have to tell…"

"Red and green, like the eyes of a certain two people." Aerith removed her hand from Tifa's hip to run her fingers along the top button of her jacket. "Wanna see? It's just the three of us out here, so I don't mind."

Tifa tried to say no, despite the fact that she really did want to see, but when she tried to speak, Tifa found her mouth suddenly too dry to do so. Aerith must have taken her silence as approval, because she deftly undid the top button. It wasn't enough to come remotely near showing anything, but it was the thought that had Tifa getting excited.

Oh, god. Tifa just moaned. That sound really came out of her mouth…

"You're too tense." Aerith changed the subject as abruptly as she did a minute ago. One of these days, Tifa was going to learn how Aerith could do that and not bat an eyelash. Was it a Cetra thing? "You need to relax."

"I am relaxed." Tifa countered, thankful for the change of topic. Not that it did much to assuage her blush.

"You usually beat bad guys up with the grace of a pro dancer." Aerith deadpanned. "Right now, you got the grace of a one-legged chocobo."

"Hey…" Tifa frowned.

"Aww…" Aerith burst into giggles. "I ever tell you that you got the most adorable frowny face?"

"Yes." It was Tifa's turn to deadpan. "Every time."

"Well, you do." Aerith's countenance changed to a look of deep thought before suddenly lighting up. "I think I know just the thing to get you to loosen up."

"What's th…" Tifa tried to answer but she was abruptly silenced when Aerith's lips gently pressed to hers.

Aerith's smiles and giggles were one thing, but the flower girl's kisses were on an entirely different level. All it took was the tiniest brush of lips, and Tifa's brain would short-circuit like she'd been electrocuted. The tighter their lips came together, the more intense the tingles and sparks that accompanied the kisses became.

Tifa's heart hammered against her ribs as the kiss grew more heated. With their chest so close together, Aerith had to be able to feel it. Tifa could certainly feel Aerith's, the beat wild and strong against her own chest.

Tifa wouldn't have been surprised if the sheer warmth of their kiss was flash drying the water as it fell upon them. When she felt Aerith's tongue on her lip, Tifa had no hope of suppressing the shudder that passed through her. Before Tifa could even consider allowing her entrance, Aerith's lips were gone. Both women sucked in heavy breaths.

"Now then, move with me." An out of breath Aerith didn't wait for Tifa's brain to catch up with the rest of her body before she was beginning the steps. "Don't think, just feel."

There was definitely no thinking to be had, Tifa's mind was too fried for that. She found herself blindly following her girlfriend's movements. Good thing there wasn't a cliff nearby, Aerith could have danced them right off of it and Tifa would have been none the wiser.

"Enjoyable as this is, I think it's time to go in." Aerith stopped their dance while Tifa struggled to remember what planet they were on. In those few minutes there was no world, just the two of them dancing in the rain. "Poor Cloud is looking like a kicked puppy."

Looking over at the porch, Tifa saw Cloud still right where she'd left him. It lasted for only a fraction of a second, but Tifa saw enough. That look, it was the same one Tifa saw in the mirror whenever she thought about Cloud and Aerith together. That pang of jealousy that often haunted Tifa's thoughts, she wasn't the only one feeling it.

Tifa winced internally at how it must have felt for him, watching Tifa and Aerith together while he sat out. She would make it up to him later, somehow, Tifa decided. They were all three in this together, after all.

Once the two women were back on the porch and out of the rain, Aerith wrung the water out of her braid while Tifa did the same to her own hair. It was a warm day so if they were lucky, their clothes would dry while they wore them. It looked like the rain wasn't going away any time soon, anyway. Drenched clothes would be a little uncomfortable, but it had been worth every second.

"So chivalrous." Aerith spoke in an exaggerated dreamy voice while she took her boots back from Cloud. "Holding onto a lady's shoes for her."

Cloud ignored Aerith's comment, but Tifa saw the faintest traces of a blush creeping up his neck.

"Here." Cloud must have gathered up Tifa's boots during the dance because now he was handing hers back.

"Thanks." Tifa took the footwear but hesitated before putting them back on.

"Something wrong?" Cloud asked as Tifa stepped closer.

"Not at all." Tifa cupped Cloud's cheek in her hand and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips. As much as she would have liked to throw her arms around him, she was soaked and he was bone dry. No point in making him wet, too.

Much like Aerith, Cloud's lips gave Tifa no shortage of sparks and tingles. His wasn't as fiery hot, but more of a soothing cool. Different, but both types something precious.

Cloud returned the kiss without hesitation as he always did.

"What was that for?" Cloud asked once they had to separate. While his voice was steady, he had that strange look on his face again. Tifa didn't know how to place it, like his own mind was being fried in place by a single kiss. Did Tifa look like that after every kiss?

"For…" Tifa hesitated. "Being such a good boyfriend."

It was more like 'sorry for making you watch your girlfriends making out and being all lovey-dovey while you watched on the sidelines' but Tifa didn't want to say that aloud.

Cloud eyed Tifa suspiciously, but didn't inquire further.

"We should see about getting you two dried off." Cloud opened the door for his girlfriends, but Aerith apparently had other ideas in mind.

"Oh, no." Aerith seized Cloud by the arm with her own before dragging him back into the inn. So much for not getting Cloud wet, too. "Don't you dare think you're getting out of this Mister Bodyguard. "You wouldn't dance in the rain with me, so now you have to dance inside."

"Aerith." Cloud groaned. "You know I don't…"

"That's crap and you know it." Aerith cut him off. "I saw you at the Honeybee Inn. I know you got some moves. I got to dance with my girlfriend, now I'm dancing with my boyfriend. Then after you can help Tifa practice."

"What's this about the Honeybee Inn?" Tifa's curiosity was piqued as she followed the pair.

"Nothing!" Cloud blurted a little too fast for it to be nothing.

"He means, Cloud's been holding out on us. You see he's… hey!" Aerith started but Cloud tried to silence her with a gentle elbow in her side, the flower girl was having none of it. "Our boyfriend here is a grade A dancer, but he doesn't like people to know."

Cloud said nothing, but visibly groaned and ran his free hand down his face in resignation.

"Really, now?" Tifa arched an eyebrow at Cloud, who seemed to find the nearby wall very interesting. "I think I need to hear more about this."

"Lovely!" Aerith clapped her hands together, while making sure her arm was still linked with Cloud's so the mercenary couldn't attempt an escape. "You see, it started back in Wall Market when we were trying to rescue you…"

**Author's Note:**

> Not going to lie, I know full well that my last several updates have been abysmal. Hopefully this one is back up to my traditional standard. Leave some comments/reviews so I know if this is any better.
> 
> I'm considering doing extra chapters to some of my other works but I haven't decided on anything just yet. "Descend" is also proving to be a little harder to write than I planned so apologies to anyone who really wanted this update to be for that one.


End file.
